OTA; various locations and times

[mensrea]

A) One’s An Incident

“—listen to me!”

Somewhere near you, whether it’s at the park or on the sidewalk or in the café or riding the tube, there is a young man engaged in a heated conversation. The identity of the person he’s arguing with may not be readily obvious to those without supernatural hearing; the discussion is taking place over the phone. Should you attempt to tune Stiles out, it’ll quickly prove fruitless. His voice rises in volume the longer he’s on the call.

“I’m telling you, it’s fine. …No! I’m not sending you a picture of it. There’s nothing to see! …No. …No. It was just an accident, okay!?”

Distractedly, Stiles turns in your direction. There is an ugly, swollen bruise taking up half his face, clearly the work of someone’s fist. You may be able to infer that this is what the fight is about.

“—oh my god, don’t. You were the one who shipped me off here. You don’t get to pull that card on me, not now. …Dad. …Dad. Would you— …Would you just TRUST me for once!?”

Whatever his father responds with, it elicits an immediate reaction from Stiles. Expression twisting miserably, he seems to lose all energy for continuing the exchange. His voice is wooden, weary.

“Fine. I gotta go. …Yeah, I will. …Alright. Love you too.”

The call ends. Maybe you make eye contact with Stiles awkwardly. Maybe you decide to talk to him. Maybe you try to pretend you hadn’t overheard.

“Sorry about that,” he says to you, light and cheery. His smile is tight. “You know how it is. My old man always has to get his say in.”

B) Two’s A Coincidence

If you venture to the library, you’ll likely find Stiles buried nose-deep in an oversized tome. He’s piled high a wall of literature around him, to the point where it might be difficult to see him from the front. The titles of the books? All on mythology and mythical creatures. On occasion, a particularly interesting passage has him muttering under his breath and jotting down a few notes in his journal. Feel free to pull up a chair and harass him; he could use a break.

C) Three’s A Pattern

Guess who just drove his shitty used bicycle into you or your vehicle? This guy. Eyes wide, he hastily stammers out an apology, then loses his balance. Both bike and boy crash to the ground in a mess of whizzing gears and muffled groans. Maybe he took you down with him.

D) Four’s A Warrant

Night in London isn’t kind to humans—not that that’s ever stopped Stiles from exploring the city at inappropriate hours. However, there’s something different about the young man tonight as he wanders the streets aimlessly. For one, he’s clad only in a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt with no shoes in sight. He doesn’t even have his trusty lacrosse stick on him! If you get close, you’ll see the unfocused, glassy fog to his eyes. Hopefully your intentions are well-meaning. Or maybe you’re looking for an easy snack. Either way, Stiles doesn’t seem to be in a position to argue.

( If you prefer brackets over prose, I’ll follow suit! PM me if you’d like to plot out a specific starter for your character! c: )

Comments

[mensrea]

A rueful smile tugs at his mouth. Despite what the lawyer may believe, his father would definitely appreciate a guy like Apollo. Unlike his son, the Sheriff is slow to cast judgment or to act on suspicion. The man tries to do things right, the first time—and if that means taking time to be thorough, so be it. Apollo ensures that justice isn’t served to the wrong person; yeah, Stiles is sure his father would approve.

“More like all day and all night.” There’s an implication in his tone that the correction is meant to be humorous, but the amusement doesn’t reach his eyes. “Probably not great for his health. He doesn’t know about…stuff.”

Stiles makes a huge, vague gesture.

[apolly]

"... Really?" As far as he knew, Stiles was a regular kid. If he had powers he definitely didn't show any at the haunted house.

But he had a bigger question weighing on him.

"Then why did he let you move across the globe to stay with your grandparents?"

[mensrea]

"He didn't let me," Stiles returns with a scoff, a hint of bitterness coloring his tone. "It was his idea. Things back home were getting intense, and it's not like I could explain to him that I was skipping school or getting into fights because of supernatural evildoers. He probably thinks I'm on drugs."

Glaring out the passenger window, he tries not to compare his relationship with his father to Scott's relationship with the man. The Sheriff has already stated multiple times that he trusts his son's best friend more than he trusts his son.

"I guess it's for the best you're married to your work. Maybe it's better that way."

[apolly]

Stiles on drugs... Apollo nearly snorts at the thought. Stiles had enough energy on his own to not need any drug whatsoever.

"So you got grounded, right out of the country." Sounds about right. "I'm married to my work, sure. But I didn't have parents growing up." It was already weird dropping that bomb, but it seemed to connect with other people somehow.

"I'm an orphan, y'know."

[mensrea]

The passenger window is abandoned, Stiles twisting in his seat to fix Apollo with an intent, weighty look. Though the Sheriff may have been perpetually absent due to long work hours, at least he's had opportunities to spend time with his old man. Stiles had been devastated by the loss of his mother; he can't imagine losing both parents. But that's assuming Apollo knew his parents at all.

"You weren't adopted?"

[apolly]

"A few times, but they never worked out. It wasn't so bad when I started college, but it's probably why moving across the globe didn't bother me." He wasn't really attached to anyone at home anymore except for his best friend who was training to become an astronaut anyway. He'd be in space, and Apollo'd be in England.

"So I can't say I know a lot about parents, but I know about independence."

[mensrea]

"Hey, you turned out alright." Though he grins, his words are sincere. Reaching over, he lightly punches Apollo in the arm. "I guess."

Settling back, he considers the dashboard. "Where you from?"

[apolly]

Apollo smiles in response, making an eventual turn to another road.

"I turned out great. My hair's perfect, anyway." It's a joke. Probably.

"Los Angeles, born and raised. You?"

[mensrea]

Lips pursed, Stiles definitely decides against commenting on the hair. Apollo's hair sure is...something. Perfect isn't the word he'd use, though.

"Knew it!" He snaps his fingers. "I thought I could hear SoCal in your voice. I'm from Beacon Hills. Pretty small, so I wouldn't be surprised if you'd never visited."